Some 10,500km away on the eve of the World Cup final two Kiwi champions of my childhood will be honoured. March 28, San Jose, California, Kiwi pro wrestling legends The Bushwhackers will be inducted into the WWE hall of fame.
Luke Williams and Butch Miller will join American greats like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan, The Ultimate Warrior, Mick 'Mankind' Foley and Jake 'The Snake' Roberts in this hallowed hall of fame. It's hugely exciting.
Ohhhhh the pride I felt the first time I saw The Bushwackers appear on Superstars of Wrestling. Two crazed Kiwis in black singlets swinging arms, licking faces and whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Tens of thousands of Americans screaming for a couple of Kiwi heroes.
Sure The Bushwhackers were inbred rednecks. But they were inbred right here in New Zealand.
Their "battering ram head butt" victory against The Fabulous Rougeaus (brothers Jaques and Raymond) during Wrestlemania V should have led the news. But no. Richard Long and Judy Bailey turned their backs. Thankfully the kids did not. WWF was everything at my school. Years and years spent debating story lines, fighting over crumpled pages from the WWF magazine and pile-driving each other off desks. Every assembly featured a banned move. There will be no leg drops, clotheslines or body slams performed at this school.
They couldn't stop us. Especially after we watched, on VHS, Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III executing "the bodyslam heard around the world" on the 250kg Andre the Giant.
The next day a "Hulkamaniac" called Bubbles slammed me off a bench seat. Mr Letts caught us and we both got detention. As a victim and a fellow "Hulkamaniac" I found the whole thing particularly unjust. As Hulk's theme song declares "fight for what's right, fight for your life".
Great as Hogan was Brutus the Barber Beefcake was better. He'd defeat dicks like The Genius, apply a "sleeper", pull out a pair of garden shears, put them away again and cut off bits of their hair with small snips.
But he didn't get it all his way. On an episode of Superstars, Outlaw Ron Bass threw the ref out of the ring, took off his spurs and attacked the Barber's head. Even Jesse Ventura was shocked "this is vicious McMahon". Through the censor's blur I'm sure I saw some of Brutus' brain come out. It was intense but it wasn't over. With Beefcake bleeding on the mat, Bass grabbed "Miss Betsy" his bullwhip and garrotted him. I'm still traumatised.
Then there was the time King Harley Race laid Hacksaw Jim Duggan on a table outside the ring climbed the top rope and attempted a chiropractic re-adjustment. At the last minute Hacksaw moved and Race slammed onto the table himself. The king suffered a career ending injury that night and was forced to abdicate his title. We never saw him again.
Then there was the time The Ultimate Warrior defeated The Honky Tonk Man for the intercontinental belt in 30 seconds. Unheard of!
What about that time The Undertaker threw Mankind from the top of the 5m "Hell in a Cell" cage. Everyone thought Foley was dead until he jumped off the stretcher and climbed up after The Undertaker. The fight continued on high until the cage broke sending both wrestlers crashing on to the hard ground below. Mick 'Mankind' Foley survived and went on to write three riveting autobiographies and two novels.
The Bushwhackers achieved global fame during what many believe was the golden era of professional wrestling. Luke Williams and Butch Miller are a couple of great New Zealanders who deserve every accolade they get. Without a doubt they made my childhood better.
The Black Caps are doing exactly the same for young Kiwis today. Well apart from the head butting, face licking, gut bustering and fixed results.
The Bushwhackers and The Black Caps may you live forever in exalted glory.
